Well, Gundam fans, it’s out. The latest edition of the Mobile Suit Encyclopedia. This time it’s called Mobile Suite Illustrated 2009. This is at least the 6th edition. The earliest edition I have is the Mobile Suit Encyclopedia which appears to have been published in 1989 and claimed to have 370 mobile suits. After that came the Mobile Suit Encyclopedia Ver. 3.0 (1992) which claimed 559 mobile suits. 1998, 2003 and 2006 saw new editions. Read more…
Tags: Gundam
I just received my copy of a new Dougram art book called Fang of the Sun Dougram the Comprehensive. In recent years publishers in Japan have been putting out large, comprehensive art books for many 80’s anime series. I’m glad Dougram finally got its turn. In the past I’ve gone looking for Dougram art books but met with little success. Read more…
Tags: Dougram
In my quest to watch every Godzilla movie I have just finished Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002). It was very good. The movie focused on the action, avoided excess preaching and provided an ending that wrapped things up nicely without upsetting long-time Godzilla fans. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a monster movie. Read more…
Tags: Godzilla
To round off my Patlabor experience I watched Patlabor 3 the Movie: WXIII (2001). The WXIII in the title is short for Wasted 13 – more on that below. The movie was great and I recommend it to science-fiction fans but with a warning. This movie is not a standard Patlabor story. It’s a side story and there’s almost no mecha action. Like Orguss 02, Patlabor 3 the Movie takes place in the same setting as the title but focuses on different characters and a different storyline than usual. The characters of Special Vehicles Section 2 are only seen very briefly and don’t figure prominently into the plot. Read more…
Tags: Patlabor
I had a great time watching the second Patlabor movie (1993). Although it bogged down in the middle and risked boring the audience it was a good movie overall and I would recommend it to mecha fans. Read more…
Tags: Patlabor
I’ve had a great time reading Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters by August Ragone. I bought it along with David Kalat’s book to help me get a better understanding of Japan’s live-action science-fiction/fantasy movies. My curiosity was richly rewarded and I recommend August Ragone’s book. Although the book might look a little pricey it is worth it for the wealth of rare photographs and appealing graphical design. Read more…
I watched the Patlabor Movie (1989) last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. If you’ve seen any Patlabor then you shouldn’t miss this movie. The story centers around a plot by a mad programmer who wants to stop Tokyo’s development by creating a hidden flaw in a new operating system for labors. Once a certain low frequency sound is made by the wind a hidden program takes control of the labors and sends them on a rampage. Learning about the plot just before a hurricane with the right wind speed comes to Tokyo, Special Vehicles Section 2 springs into action to try to prevent a tragedy. Read more…
Tags: Patlabor
The AV-98 Ingram Unit 1 "Alphonse" is back!
Patlabor’s second OAV series started in November 1990 and ran for 16 half hour episodes. Really, the second OAV series is a continuation of the TV series. It makes Patlabor 63 episodes instead of 47. I really enjoyed the second OAV series and highly recommend it but only to those who have already seen the TV series. Read more…
Tags: Patlabor
After reading Foundation’s Edge I thought I should follow up with Foundation and Earth. When it was first published the cover claimed it was the the 5th Foundation novel. This is the 2nd Foundation novel written after Asimov’s 30 year gap and his decision to combine his Robot and Foundation settings. Read more…
Tags: Foundation Series, Isaac Asimov
I’ve just finished the 47 episodes of the Patlabor TV Series. Patlabor ran from October 1989 to September 1990. Patlabor is a truly great TV show and I highly recommend it to all mecha and science-fiction fans. I wrote about Patlabor’s basic premise not long ago so there’s no need to go over it again. After watching the entire run of Special Vehicles Division 2’s adventures protecting Tokyo my enthusiasm for the show hasn’t diminished at all. Read more…
Tags: Patlabor
